The Ways of the Air Nomads
by AButterfly'sTrueColours
Summary: Explanation (or trying to) of the culture of the Air Nomads
1. 1 Temples

There are four Air Nomad Temples in total: The Northern Temple and the Southern Temple for the monks, and the Eastern Temple and the Western Temple for the nuns.

These temples are a haven to the Air Nomads, a place to return to.

As one would expect from a nation of nomads, the Air Nomads are always traveling, never staying in one place for too long. It's just not in their nature to settle in one place.

The only place in which most Air Nomads have ever stayed the longest is in one of the four Temples.

The monks and nuns that reside in the Temples are usually either the elderly - those who have finally grown too old and weary to keep traveling, and the young ones - too young to travel on their own. Usually, these are the only people that can be found in the Temples, for all the other Air Nomads are out somewhere else in the world.

However, there does come a time when they too will come back to these Temples, even if only for a quick visit.

These Temples are Sacred. It is the place to teach and a place to learn. Above all else, it is the one place in which the Air Nomads, no matter how adventurous, can call home.

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Disclaimer: Is this even really necessary? If I owned this show I wouldn't have written a fanfiction to begin with

A/N: Hey, first of all thanks for reading this. This has always been something I've been really curious about, the culture of the Air Nomads. We all know a little bit from what the show has given us but there's still a lot to be answered.

Man, I really wish the creators of this show actually went through with the sub-story of Aang's backstory and all that stuff. Apparently they did plan on putting it on the show but for some reason didn't...at least I read that somewhere...

Anyway, a lot of what I'll be writing here will mostly be speculation. And I would appreciate some help with all this, so if you'd like to discuss this whole topic with me please PM me. Or if you have a theory you can also just put it in the review :) I would really appreciate any help at all with all this. Of course I will give credit to those who have :)


	2. 2 Enlightenment

Air Nomads are highly spiritual. Even at a very young age, they are striving to connect with their spiritual side, and someday reach enlightenment.

Always meditating to keep a clear and peaceful mind, staying in touch with nature, and yet staying detached from the world. That is their way of life.

It is because of this high spirituality they all possess, that every single member of the Air Nomads are airbenders. They may have the smallest population among the other nations, but they are also the only nation that consists of all benders.

Air Nomads are peaceful human beings. More peaceful than any of the other nations. It is against their very nature to have any thoughts relating to violence. After all, they believe all life as sacred.

They believe in equality. No life is worth more than another, and all life is important. Status is meaningless to them, for no person should have rights and privileges that others do not have.

All these practices, all these beliefs, they are an absolute must for anyone to have any hopes of reaching spiritual enlightenment. And enlightenment is what Air Nomads strive for.

It is because of this mindset that they are so adventurous, always wanting to travel and see what is out there, seeing all the wonders of the world.

It is also why they are so charismatic. They are very kind beings to all creatures, whether human, animal or even insect.

It is because of this however, that airbenders don't usually get attached, neither to a place nor a person. Airbenders' place is in the air, free to go wherever they want, to keep moving. They can never stay at one place for too long. It is because of this detachment from the world that their relationships never go beyond friendship.

The concept of familial or romantic love is a foreign concept to them. It's something that Air Nomads come to understand through their travels, but don't really feel for themselves.

That is not to say that they are not allowed to. It is true that worldly attachments such as places and people block the path to enlightenment, but enlightenment is not an obligation.

Airbenders are very much free to choose attachment and love over spiritual enlightenment. However, those cases are few and far between.

After all, how can they see someone as more important than others when they have believed all their lives that all life are equal?

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A/N: What are your thoughts on this one? I have always wondered why there has never been any mention of any parent Air Nomads before Aang and Tenzin. I think for them, family and friends are basically the same thing.

Anyway, like I said in the last chapter, please feel free to discuss with me about these theories. I'd like to hear what you guys think. And also, if you have anything to add about the theories that I have already discussed or if you think there's a better explanation for them :)

Anonymous23: thank you so much for your review. I wouldn't really call them dirt but I do agree. That is also why I have created this in the first place. I hope you like this one too


	3. 3 Raising Children

It is no question that the Air Nomads live very differently than everyone else in the world. One of those differences is family. That being, Air Nomads don't have them. In a conventional sense that is.

With the other nations, a man and a woman get married, becoming husband and wife. They then produce children and raise them as father and mother, living their lives together. Air Nomads don't live like that at all.

The male and female airbenders live separately, but they do meet during holidays and celebrations. They also have a possibility of meeting during their voyages. During these times, when they are at the right age, they may decide to make a child.

As monks and nuns, giving into lust is not something that they would allow themselves to do. However, they are allowed to have sex, so long as they follow a specific set of rules. As long as it doesn't become a regular occurrence, and as long as they respect the partner they choose.

For women especially, as long as they are prepared for the possibility of getting a child. Air Nomads don't believe in birth control regulations. Taking them is like going against the spirits' plans.

Once they find out about being pregnant, the woman will be taken care of by the other nuns, making sure the mother stays healthy and strong. If the woman is still traveling, they go back to their home temple. The father is not to be informed of the baby.

After the child is born, the other nuns will take care of the baby for the first week. The mother will rest during this time, and will not under any circumstance see their baby. They will not even be told of their child's gender.

As soon as the week has passed, the child will be transported by one of the nuns and her bison to one of the other temples. If the baby is a boy, he will be transported to either the North or the South Temple. If the baby is a girl, she will not stay in the temple she was born in.

No matter what, the baby and the mother will not live under the same roof. This is all in order to preserve their way of living. It would be impossible otherwise.

The baby will then be taken care of by the Head Monks or Head Nuns and be raised into airbenders.

Anybody from the other nations would find this custom preposterous and unnecessarily cruel. But the Air Nomads, including the mothers and children, would disagree. They do not think this way, because to them it is normal.

Besides, it's not like they are forced to live this way. They are nomads, it would be easy for them to leave the temple, and it is not a rule for them to return.

None of the other Air Nomads have the right to fault them for the life they choose to live, so long as it doesn't go against their morals. They could become mothers, they could tell the father, if they really wanted to. They could raise their child outside the temple.

Yet they almost never choose to do this. As to why, is something that other nations would never understand.


End file.
